Method and means for detecting flaws



Feb. 18, 1936. H. QpRAKE I METHOD AND MEANS FOR DETECTING FLAWS Original Filed Feb. 17, 1933 3nvelitor Harcourl' C.Dra ke (11f neg H Patented Feb. 18, 1936 PATENT OFFlC METHOD AND MEANS FOR DETECTING FLAWS Harcourt C. Drake, liempstead, Y., asslgnor to Sperry Products, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation'of New York Application February 17, 1933, Serial No. 657,229

Renewed June 18, 1935 8' Claims. (01. 175-183) This invention relates to a method of and means for detecting flaws within'magnetizable materials such as steel rails andthe like. Magnetic'methods for the testing of magnetizable 5 materials have heretofore been proposed and even experimented with. The great defect of all these systems resides in the fact that while the magnetic fiux is interrupted or distorted by the presence of internal flaws which are transverse to the direction of flux, and may therefore be detected, such interruption or distortion is also effected by many other factors such as, for example, hard spots within the material under test, stresses, portions of difierent chemical composition, etc., and they do not detect internal fissures which are not transverse to the di-- rection of flux. y

It is the principal object of my invention, therefore, to provide a magnetic -method of testing 20 which will diflerentiate between actual defects such as fissures and cracks within the material and mere points of. abnormal stress or defects in chemical composition such as high sulphur content. a

In. the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view and assembly show ing the principle of my invention as applied to "the testing of a conductor, in this case a rail. Fig. 2 is a. side elevation of a portion of a car 30 having my invention applied thereto and adapted to run on tracks for testing the same.

Referring firstto Fig. '1, the principle of the invention is therein disclosed. The i'orm of magnetic testing heretofore employed may be described as follows: An energizingelectromagnet l having a core II and an energizing coil l2 whichreceives current from any suitable source such as a battery or generator I3, is positioned with the ends of the core close to the magnetic material under test, in this case the rail R. The member under test thus forms the closure of a magnetic circuit through the core and the said member under test. The lines of flux, therefore, extend in a direction to join the arms of the core ll. As long as the materialis free of defect the flux therethrough is uniform, but as soon as a defect is encountered the flux is distorted and such distortion causes certain of the lines of flux to take a different. path so that they are picked up by a, shunt circuit comprising a core I5in the form of an inverted U similar to the core II and having a coil l6 wound thereon. When a detective portion of member R is encountered, magnetic flux passes into the shunt circuit l5 and induces a voltage in the coil l6 be provided with a detecting coil l6 and the inwhich may be. caused to actuate an indicator either directLv or through an amplifier A which may amplify the impulse sufilciently to operate a recording pen P on a chart C, the said pen being carried by an armature designed to be at- 5 tracted by the relay N energized from the amplifier.

As suggested in the introduction, the defect inherent in such a system was that no difierentiation could be made between actual defects 10 such as fissures or cracks and portions of stress or strain or oi'.diflerent chemical composition which also caused distortion of magnetic flux but which did not constitute a defect in the material; nor could such system detect fissures that were not transverse to the direction of fiuir. Thus, for instance, it is apparent from Fig. 1 that the lines of fiux set up by magnet l0 extend through member R. in the direction D and these lines of" flux would be intercepted by a transverse fissure such as F; but lines of ,flux in a direction I) would not be interrupted or distorted by the presence of a longitudinal fissure such as F. Also, a region of a hard spot as indicated at H would distort the lines of flux in a direction D. By, 7 my invention I provide in addition to the magnet In a similar magnet l0 positioned at right angles to the magnet l0 and having a core II in the form of an inverted U similar to core II. A detector magnet l5 similar to magnet I5 cooperates with the magnet -ll'l' in the same manner that magnet l5 cooperates with magnet l0. The magnet l0 may be energized by a coil l2 from any suitable source IS. The core l5 may duced voltages in said core may be caused to actuate an indicator or a recorder such as a pen P similar to pen P after being amplified by ampllflel A. By the above construction I simultaneously accomplish two results. In the first place, I am enabled to detect longitudinal fissures as well as transverse fissures and in the second place I am enabled to distinguish between fissures and hard spots, etc. The reason for the first of these is that the fiux between the arms of core II is in the direction of arrow D so that longitudinal fissures F will interruptand distort this flow. Transverse fissures, however, such as F will not interrupt or distort the flow in the direction D' but will disturb the fiow of flux in the direction D. So that the pen P will indicate the presence of transverse fissures while the pen P' will indicate the presence of longitudinal fissures.

with respect to the second advantase obtained by my invention, that is, the differentiation between fissures and hard spots, etc.; the reason for this is as follows: It will be apparent that a hard spot such as H will interrupt flux in the direction D as well as in a direction D. In other words, when a hard spot is encountered it will be pickedup by both pens P and P. Thus there will be obtained an indication as indicated at 20 on the chart where both pens have indicated "the presence of a defect. Such a defect is therejgated magnetic members I may mount the device on a car, a portion of whose body 30 is illustrated in Fig. 2, which is designed to carry the I detector means by a carriage 3| which may be raised and lowered from the car body by means of pistons 32 attached to the carriage 3|, said pistons operating in cylinders 33 which may be supplied with fluid pressure. The carriage may be raised by means of springs and cables when the fiuid pressure is cut ofi. The detector means may be supported on the carriage II for movement independent thereof by means of a carriage 40, the said carriage supporting the search unit 4i within which are mounted the magnetic systems l0, l. Current may be supplied to the energizing coils i2, i2' from a suitable source within a car body such as batteries is and i3 or a generator such as G.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle andoperation o! my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed the various features and elements in the toinbination and relations described. some of these] may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, aLnd the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.,The method of detecting. fissures within magnetizable objects consisting in setting up flux in a plurality of directions through the object under test and simultaneously indicating variations in flux in each of said directions.

2. The method of detecting fissures within magnetlzable objects consisting in setting up flux in two directions, substantially at right angles to each other, through an obiectunder test, and

indicating variations in flux in each, of said directions.

3. The method of detecting fissures within magnetiaable objects and differentiating fissures from other defects consisting in setting up fiux 5 in a plurality of directions through the" object under test, simultaneously indicating variations in fiux in each of said directions and comparing said indications.

4. The method of detecting fissures within 1 magnetizable objects and'diiferentiating fissures from other defects consisting in setting up flux in two directions, substantially at right angles to each other, through an object under test, indicating variations in flux in each of said directions and comparing said indications.

5. In a device for testing magnetizable obiects, means for continuously setting up flux through said object in a given direction, means responsive to variations in said flux, an indicat- 2o ing means actuated by said responsive means, a second means for setting up fiux through said object in a direction at an angle to said first direction, means responsive to variations in said last-named flux, and a second indicating means actuated by said last-named responsive means.

6. In a device for testing magnetizable objects, means for continuously setting up flux through said object in a given direction, means responsive to variations in said fiux, an indicating means actuated by said responsive means, a second means for setting up flux through said object in a direction at an angle to said first direction, means responsive to variations in said last-named fiux, and a second indicating means as actuated by said last-named responsive means and in comparative relation to said first indicating means.

'7. In a device for testing magnetizable objects for transverse and'longitudinal fissures and for differentiating said fissures from other defects, means for continuously setting up flux through said object longitudinally, means responsive to variations in said longitudinal flux, an indicating means actuated by said responsive means, a second means for continuously setting up flux through said object transversely, means responsive to variations in said transverse flux and a second indicating means actuated by said lastnamed responsive means.

8. In a device for testing magnetizable objects for transverse and longitudinal fissures and for differentiating said fissures from other defects, means for continuously setting up fiux through said object longitudi l y; means responsive to variations in said longitudinal flux, -an indicating-'means actuated by said responsive means, a' second means for continuously setting up flux through said object transversely, means responsive to variations in said transverse flux and a second indicating means actuated by said lastnamed responsive means and in comparative relation thereto.

HARCOURT C. DRAKE. 

